Less than two weeks after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at the school on Feb. 14. The team won the Florida state title. The Stoneman Douglas hockey team got to practice at the BB&T Center on Monday afternoon in preparation for their trip to nationals and the NHL and Panthers surprised them by bringing the Stanley Cup out onto the ice.

Less than two weeks after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at the school on Feb. 14. The team won the Florida state title. The Stoneman Douglas hockey team got to practice at the BB&T Center on Monday afternoon in preparation for their trip to nationals and the NHL and Panthers surprised them by bringing the Stanley Cup out onto the ice.

Before the Marjory Stoneman Douglas club hockey team tries to win another trophy, they were unexpectedly greeted by hockey’s most coveted one Monday afternoon — the Stanley Cup.

The Stoneman Douglas hockey team practiced at the BB&T Center, home of the Florida Panthers, on Monday in preparation for their trip to nationals and the NHL and Panthers surprised them by bringing the Stanley Cup out onto the ice after practice. The team won the Florida state title on Feb. 25, less than two weeks after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at the school on Feb. 14.

“They said there was going to be something special coming out, but I wasn’t expecting anything like that,” team captain Matt Hauptman said. “More expecting to see Stanley out there, Stanley the Panther, not the Cup. It was just unreal.”

Forward Joey Zenobi added: “That’s the last thing I was expecting. I was expecting maybe [Aleksander] Barkov or [Nick] Bjugstad to come on and skate with us. That was the last thing I was expecting.”

“Talking to them afterwards, I think they understood how important that trophy is to hockey,” said Thornton, who won two Cups, one with Anaheim and one with Boston. “I think they really drank in the experience and they loved every second of it. It was good to see their faces light up like that.”

The Panthers and airline Swift Air also partnered to fly the team up to Minnesota for the USA Hockey High School National Championships in Plymouth, Minn., from March 22-26. Thornton said the idea originated from Swift and the Panthers’ ownership once they saw Stoneman Douglas win the state title.

“Swift and ownership said ‘Why don’t we put them on the team plane and get them up to Minnesota and back?’ ” Thornton said. “Very generous, very thoughtful of them. Today, we were just the people that got to relay the message. The kind hearts of the people behind the scenes is what really made that happen.”

Stoneman Douglas captain Matt Hauptman talks about ‘unreal’ experience with Stanley Cup after practicing in the BB&T Center on Monday ahead of a trip to nationals.

Stoneman Douglas captain Matt Hauptman talks about ‘unreal’ experience with Stanley Cup after practicing in the BB&T Center on Monday ahead of a trip to nationals.

The NHL, the Hall of Fame and the Panthers teamed up to bring the Stanley Cup to Sunrise. The Hall of Fame reached out to the organization and asked if Stoneman Douglas would be practicing at the arena soon.

“It was amazing,” Borrow said. “The second that they saw Shawn bring it out, it was great, big smiles. Their jaws dropped and kind of a little bit of disbelief.”

Hauptman said the trophy was surprisingly heavy, but that the day was a high point of the range of emotions he’s experienced since Feb. 14.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas hockey team practiced at the BB&T Center, home of the Florida Panthers, on Monday in preparation for their trip to nationals and the NHL and Panthers surprised them by bringing the Stanley Cup out onto the ice after practice.

“It’s been ups and downs like crazy,” Hauptman said. “Starting out, the day just being the worst day of my life to having some of the best days of my life, winning a state championship, being treated like a professional player, it’s been incredible. Holding the Stanley Cup [has brought] my roller coaster to a peak.”

Stoneman Douglas won twice on the final day of the state tournament in Estero, defeating East Lake, 3-1, and Tampa Jesuit, 7-4, to claim the state crown. The team lost the first three games of the tournament before bouncing back.

A turning point came when the team realized that 17 players would play in the title game. One player was injured and one left early, bringing their roster to a number that matched the amount of victims.

“They got together and decided that they were going to win and they were going win for the 17 that we lost,” team mom Bonnie Hauptman said.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when he was a Pembroke Pines-born, hockey-playing teenager.

So when Philadelphia made its first visit to Sunrise since 17 people were killed at the school on Feb. 14, Gostisbehere hosted the school’s...

When the team returned after winning the championship, they placed their medals at the memorials of the 17 victims outside Stoneman Douglas.

“Everyone’s going to go through a lot of things in the last few weeks and the next however many years,” Thornton said. “We’re there to support in any way we can. Not going to pretend that we know what the best answer is or the best way to support. We’re going to wait and listen and see what people need and we’ll try to support them in any way we can.”